A Love Unfolds
by psychosocialwai
Summary: AU. Morgiana was an overseas hotel housekeeper who was saved from a sexual assault by Alibaba Saluja, a young man who was spending his short vacation in Qishan. She uprooted herself from her life to find salvation, start anew, and fall in love against all odds. (cover image not mine)


**ABOUT**

 _Modern Alternate Universe in which -_

 _Morgiana is strong but not well-trained in martial arts,_

 _She has no Stockholm Syndrome (unlike what she had shown towards Jamil on the canon plot),_

 _Mariam is still alive,_

 _& magic does not exist._

 **WARNINGS**

 _Dark theme_

 _Sexual scenes (assault)_

 _Swearing_

 **DISCLAIMER**

 _I own nothing except the plot of this fanfiction story;_

 _Every official Magi character and reference is owned by Magi author._

* * *

 **Chapter One**

The day was nearly over.

Morgiana scoped the filthy vomit with her bare hands. The smelly odor was prompting her stomach to churn and throw up but she has to finish cleaning the mess on the tiled floor before the guests came back. She grabbed the rag beside her to wipe the floor and washed it on the water basin. When she squeezed it, the filthy water splashed to her clothes.

Being an overseas hotel housekeeper was a noble profession, at least to Morgiana, especially if the reason was to provide financial assistance for the family.

"Morgiana, the guests are coming. Hurry up." Leila, one of her fellow housekeepers, warned as she entered the room and hastily vacuumed the carpet.

"I'm almost done." She replied softly despite of her nauseous feeling due to the smelly odor hovering on the room.

It's been several months since she went to Qishan as an overseas worker because of the economic crisis and the increase of unemployment rate that her nation was facing. Even if she finished her studies, there was no job vacancy or hiring in any of the local companies or establishments in her country so she decided to work overseas. However, the wage that she'd been receiving from her employer was not enough to support both her personal needs and her family's so she would skip meals and save the money. Sometimes, she would take part time jobs outside the hotel like tutoring some merchants' children on their respective homes at night or helping out in restaurant kitchens as a dishwasher during day off.

"Aren't you coming with us, Morgiana?" Leila asked one dinner time.

Morgiana shook her head. "No, you can go without me."

"You're getting skinny, you know. We can share food if you want." Sahsa offered.

"I appreciate it but I'm fine." She politely declined, "You better go now, it's getting late. You might be curfewed." She reminded them.

There was a hint of worry on her fellow housekeepers' face. They knew that Morgiana was strong despite of her short stature but they've been worrying about her health.

Morgiana kept on enduring the nostalgia chilling her skin. There were nights when she would dream about her parents and that would strengthen her to work harder. She missed her family so much, especially her mother.

One day, a dreadful news reached Qishan that shook her whole being.

"Was it true?" Came the rumors gushing through her ears.

"Yes. Cathargo..." There were whispers and eyes darting her as she worked in the lobby of the hotel. "that aweful country..."

She tightened her hold of the scrub and continued scrubbing the floor when they mentioned her country.

"Poor race. I heard nobody escaped from the genocide except the ones working overseas. But they'll be forced to leave their own country even if they try to come back." They stared at her as she scrubbed the floor, "Like that Fanalis housekeeper."

Her eyes widened in horror as she felt the air slowly leaving her lungs. She felt her knees trembling in shock upon hearing the news.

No. It can't be. She told herself but the denial didn't help her fight the raging emotions in her chest.

It's been a month since she lost her phone while passing by the crowded bazaar. She could only contact her family through Sahsa's phone. Unfortunately, one of the hotel supervisors confiscated it when Sahsa accidentally slipped it from her pocket on one of their duties.

Morgiana felt the hands of her fellow housekeepers rubbing circles on her back to comfort her but it didn't help. She clenched her fists and stood from her feet.

"Is it true?" She asked the staffs who were chatting nearby.

"Kid, you better watch the news on TV." One of them replied and pointed his finger to the wide screen several feet away.

She went near it to hear the almost inaudible sound from the speakers and to better see the news on the screen. Her jaw dropped when she saw the documentary news of her race getting dragged and killed. Blood was spilled on the land and there were bullet holes on the walls of the infrastructures flashed in the video.

"I have to go back!" The words automatically rolled out of her tongue. She dropped the scrub from her hand and turned to leave the lobby but Leila and Sahsa held her arms to stop her.

"You can't, Morgiana. If Jamil knew about your pla-" Sahsa was cut in mid-sentence when Leila pinched her arm, the latter was staring wide eyed on the left corridor.

"If I know about what?" an authoritative voice echoed through the corridor.

The hotel staffs lounging on the lobby seemed to leave one by one because of his presence.

 _Jamil_. Morgiana whispered and looked to where the voice came from.

"Who's going somewhere?" asked Jamil, his facial expression was cunning. Alongside him was his right-hand man, Goltas.

Leila and Sahsa let go of Morgiana's arms and looked at Jamil with horrified expressions on their faces. But Leila gritted her teeth and stood before Morgiana to cover her from Jamil's sight.

Jamil, the hotel owner and apparently the city mayor, smirked upon seeing the girls' terrified expressions.

"My condolences to your family, Morgiana." He said with a fake sad face and halted in front of Leila. "Get out of my sight." He told the latter and slapped her cheek with the back of his hand that made her sit on the floor and whimper in pain.

Morgiana could't react as she stared at Leila, her eyes widened.

Jamil grinned at the sight of her shocked face. "Your race was wiped out and the land has been conquered so we already know what that means."

He grinned at her.

"Morgiana." Her fellow housekeepers whispered worriedly.

She bit her lower lip and lowered her head, her hair covered her beautiful face. Her hands were shaking both in grief and fear. She was afraid because Jamil was a vicious, perverted person. He attempted to take advantage of her body during one of her cleaning duties in the hotel's swimming pool. She was only saved when the guests came, thanked Goltas who assisted them all the way to the swimming pool. Goltas confessed that he knew Jamil's schemes and that Morgiana should flee from Qishan before it's too late but she couldn't do it. She was starting to acquire severe and chronic anxiety and whenever she was trying to escape, panic attack was surging on her. It was one of the nightmares that's been haunting her at night. And now that she has nowhere to run and nowhere to go, she has no choice but to stay in Qishan under the supervisor of her cruel employer.

* * *

The sun has already set on the horizon as Morgiana walked barefooted on the streets. Her shoes finally gave up after a year of hardwork. She just finished her part time job as a dishwasher in one of Qishan's classy restaurants. The road was getting cold and the soles of her feet started to hurt due to the scratches caused by tiny sharp stones. Her stomach was grumbling and her hunger caused her body to tremble but she couldn't spend her savings on food, and she's not even planning to buy new shoes. She has to save enough money for her escape plan. This time, she's making sure it'd happen. If only she could reach even just the port of Actia, she might find salvation there.

Working on Jamil's hotel was like hell. Everybody knew that she's Jamil's favourite and others were envious about it. But they didn't know that she'd been beaten by him whenever he wasn't pleased by her hotel service, especially the time when she accidentally spilled wine on one of the guests' clothes. She was badly beaten that her body had injuries and extreme bruises. When Goltas found her on the pantry, he took her to Leila and Sahsa to get assistance. Jamil's abusive treatment to his workers was the hell that Morgiana has been dreaming to end. She wanted to runaway but she couldn't take a chance because of Jamil's shadow. He's a powerful businessman and she knew that Qishan's government was corrupted.

The streets were crowded with citizens and tourists making their way to the bazaar. Night market has cheaper prizes since it was intended to attract people, especially tourists. She continued walking on her way back to the cheap apartment that she and her two fellow housekeepers were sharing. It's been six months since she, Leila and Sahsa moved there to minimize Jamil's presence, at least they would only be seeing him during working hours. Her two fellows were aware about Jamil's attempted sexual assault to her so they helped her in any possible way they could.

The path was only lighted with dim street lamps and since it was almost the outskirts of the city, there were only few people around. The apartment was only a few blocks away when she felt a strong grip on her arms. Her leg automatically kicked the man, aiming at his head, but he quickly caught her foot and tossed her to the ground. She fell facedown, causing her head to bleed, and she felt warm liquid flowed down the side of her face. She tried to scream but his hand covered her mouth. Her heart was thumping wildly on her chest. That very moment, she knew that she was in grave danger.

The man dragged her to a car parked in a dark, narrow alley, five blocks away from her apartment. He duct taped her hands to prevent her from fighting. He started to pin her on the back seat and ripped her top clothes. She struggled and was able to kick him in his guts. He screamed in pain. Pushing him away, she tried to get herself out but the door was locked. He caught her hair and pulled her back. She screamed for help as loud as she could even if she knew that nobody could hear her. That area was almost abandoned and the people who lived in the slums nearby were afraid to give a hand.

The world was cruel.

The man pinned her again and punched her abdomen. She flinched in pain as she closed her eyes in surrender. She was too weak to fight any longer and too tired to save herself from the impending doom brought by her misfortune. When the man smirked, her eyes widened and her body started to tremble in great fear. She sure was so afraid but it was doubled when she heard the familiar smirk of the man. She couldn't be wrong to recognize that it was Jamil. The alley was dark and the car was tinted but she could smell his familiar scent.

"Surprised, Morgiana?" Said Jamil with a grin and laughed maniacally.

"Let go of me!" She insisted and struggled but he tightened his grip on her arms.

"Even if I let you go, you still can't flee from my presence. I have your passport." He grinned. "You can't escape."

She bit her lower lip. She knew how hopeless she was.

"See. You can't do anything. You're a slav-" Jamil was cut off when the windows crashed and someone pulled Jamil's head and banged it on the window pane, much to Morgiana's great surprise.

Suddenly, all the car's windows broke to pieces and Morgiana used her arms to cover her face from the pieces of broken glass. Seconds later, the door on her side opened and someone shouted to her.

"Run!"

She immediately got up from her feet but she stumbled as she climbed out of the car. Her whole body was still trembling.

"Goddamn you, perverted git!" A voice said through gritted teeth when Jamil groaned and gained consciousness.

She was surprised to see blond strands of hair and furious golden orbs, a lad pulled Jamil out of the car.

"How dare you do this to a helpless girl." he added and grabbed Jamil's collar.

He pushed Jamil's face hard on the stone wall of the alley and stomped his foot on his head. Mogiana could see the fury on the blond lad's golden orbs as he beat Jamil before her eyes. She watched everything with amusement and when he finally turned to face her, she was overwhelmed to see him smile sweetly. He removed his coat and draped it on her shoulders which surprised her more. She touched the fabric of his coat embracing her body, it's warm. He offered his hand to help her stand but she was hesitant to take it.

"Come, we should report to the cops immediately." Said the blond lad.

She lowered her head. "They won't listen. I'm just a housekeeper and that guy is the city mayor."

"Huh?" Confusion was painted on his face. Then, his eyes widened when her words sank to his brain. "Eh?!"

"You must be a tourist." She assumed.

"I am." He admitted. "So what about being a... housekeeper? Is that the reason why he got nerves to assault you?"

"Housekeepers are treated like slaves in this country. We are denied justice." She explained brokenheartedly. "It's the second time that someone saved me from him." Her tears formed on the edge of her eyes.

"We'll report him, I got your back." He insisted and took her hand to lift her from her feet but as soon as she stood on the ground, she fell on his arms and fainted.

* * *

"You're just a slave! You have nowhere to go!"

"Stop! Stop!"

Morgiana woke up screaming, soaked in her own sweat. It was a nightmare about Jamil. She pushed her back to sit and buried her face on her palm in distress. When she accidentally pressed her finger on her left upper temple, she felt a searing pain beneath the soft gauze plastered on her skin. Her eyes scanned the room and was surprised to find herself lying on a comfortable bed. The room was large but simple; it's a transient.

When she remembered what had happened _that_ night in the dark, narrow alley, she looked on her clothes and found out that she's wearing an oversized olive green shirt.

"It's good to see you awake." A familiar voice caught her ears.

She immediately looked to where the voice came from.

"Hey." Came the greeting when she caught sight of blond strands and golden orbs on the doorway.

It was the lad who saved her that night. Her gaze nailed on his face, as if she was studying him. He looked kind and very accommodating, albeit his posture and clothes seemed like he belonged to a wealthy family. He walked towards her and sat on the chair beside the bed.

"My name is Alibaba Saluja. I reported your case to the police station and the International Alliance. That perverted git got what he deserved. You're free now." He told her happily.

She just stared at him with amusement as he smiled at her.

"By the way, I got your passport and all of your stuffs. Two girls gave it to me before the International Alliance helped them get back to their respective countries yesterday."

"Leila…Sahsa…" Morgiana whispered under her breath and looked at the glass window and realised that it was already evening.

"Ah! That reminds me…" Alibaba shoved something under her nose. "they want me to give this to you as well."

It was a letter.

She held the envelope from his hand but before she opened it, she asked him, "How many days have passed since you saved me from Jamil?"

He rubbed his index finger and thumb under his chin and thought for a second, "It's been two days."

"I see." She looked at the envelope on her hand and tore it open.

Tears welled from her eyes while reading the letter of farewell from the two girls who helped her get through a year of hell from Jamil. Alibaba was staring at her as she cried her heart out until he handed her a handkerchief. Morgiana stared on the handkerchief for a short while but when Alibaba nodded, gesturing her to take it, she got it and wiped her tears.

"Thank you for everything. I owe you my life." She said softly.

He rubbed the back of his neck and shift his gaze on his lap. "I just did the right thing…" he said, slightly flushing, "but yeah, you're welcome."

She smiled at him gratefully.

A comfortable silence embraced them as they stared at each other until Morgiana's stomach grumbled. She slightly puffed her cheeks in embarrassment but he laughed and told her to wait for a moment. He went outside to grab some food and it didn't take him long when he came back with a plastic of take away boxes in his hand.

"The fish looks delicious!" Alibaba said as he opened one box.

Morgiana's eyes glittered upon seeing the sautéd fish. Alibaba was keen to notice it.

"Do you like fish?" He asked curiously.

She nodded excitedly.

He smiled. "You can have it then. I'll go for the veggies."

"We can share." She insisted and he agreed.

While they enjoyed their dinner, Morgiana couldn't help but to ask Alibaba how he found her. It was very rare of tourists to wander up to the outskirts of the city. Everybody knew that the slum area was never a tourist attraction.

"I went to explore the bazaar but I got lost on my way back here." He said while scratching his cheek, "I wandered and reached the outskirts of the city until a boy came running to me and asked for help. I followed him to the slum area and I heard a loud scream. I learned that he witnessed how Jamil dragged you on the car. And...you already know what happened."

"I see. What happened to the boy, then?" Morgiana asked worriedly.

"He's safe. I found out that he's an orphan and was living alone in the slum so I asked the Seven Seas Alliance to help him. Today, he was sent to Magnoshtadt to acquire formal study. He's a genius." Replied Alibaba. "You gotta meet him someday."

Morgiana was very happy to know that the people who helped her already found salvation for themselves. She gazed at the lad beside her as he enjoyed his meal. After they finished dinner, Alibaba sighed in satisfaction and asked if she's feeling alright. She nodded and stared at him which made him feel quite unease.

"You said you're a tourist." She said, "From what country are you?"

"I'm from Balbadd but I am currently studying in Sindria."

"Studying?" She tilted her head in curiosity.

He looked older than her, maybe a year or two.

"Graduate school." He clarified. "I'm studying International Law."

She nodded upon hearing his answer, her eyes were flickering in understanding. There was no doubt that Alibaba belonged to a wealthy family for as far as she knew, studying abroad, especially graduate school, was very expensive.

"By the way, I'll be going back to Sindria tomorrow. Will you be alright?" Alibaba asked, there was a hint of worry in his voice.

She stared at him like as if she would lose something valuable. "C-Can I come with you?"

He was surprised to hear her stuttering request. "Eh?"

"I beg you. I have nowhere to go. I can be your personal assistant, if it's alright. Just...don't leave me here...alone. I can't stay here anymore." She told him persistently. She felt like all her pride was dropping to the ground. But when he just stared at her in bewilderment, she lowered her head and looked at the fading red marks on her arms left by Jamil's tight grip.

"Y-You don't even know me except my name and my country." Alibaba said hesitantly as he tried his best not to sound offensive.

Morgiana kept silent and still. When she didn't move or speak, Alibaba waved his arms airily on his sides while searching for the right words to say but he couldn't find one. Aware that she's a Fanalis, he was hesitant to take Morgiana with him because of the consequences that she might face in Sindria, though the country has an anti-discrimination law favoring the refugees. To avoid the awkward silence, he excused himself for a moment and went outside the transient. He dialed on his phone to call someone.

"Kassim, it's me."

"Alibaba? Where in the world are you? Mariam thought you'd go home on your semestral break. She's worried." the voice on the other line seemed to be annoyed at him.

"Tell her I'm on a short trip to Qishan. I saved a girl in the outskirts of the city." Alibaba boasted. "And guess what? I even helped a little boy from the slum and those women who were victims of domestic abuse."

"Great. So, you went there to be a part time advocate of women and children's right?"

"Come on, bro! I literally saved a girl from a sexual assault. Ain't that cool?"

"Yes, bro. They should give you a medal. But if you don't have anything important to say, I'm off." Kassim said, thinking that Alibaba was just making a story.

"Hey wait! Kassim! I need an advice."

"Advice for what?"

Alibaba gasped some air before telling his adopted brother (and best friend) everything that has been running on his mind for the past days. They talked over the phone for one and a half hour, discussing every important issues the future held. When Alibaba went back inside the transient, Morgiana was already sound asleep.

The next morning, Morgiana woke up feeling wonderful. It's been a while since she had a comfortable sleep; no bad dreams came up. It's a bright, sunny day and sunlight was peering through the thin curtains. She scanned the room and saw two boxes of take away on the nearby table, a note was placed beside it.

 _I have a brief meeting with the Seven Seas Alliance this morning. Prepare your things, we'll be heading to Sindria when I get back._

 _P.S. Enjoy the fish._

 _ㅡ_ _Ali_

Her heart thumped wildly against her chest in excitement upon reading the note. She smiled and opened the boxes of take away to see a delicious meal. It brought so much good to her heart.

 _Everything will be alright_. She assured herself before climbing out of bed.

Finally, her salvation came to get her out of Qishan.


End file.
